Trader Joe's $7.99 Sauvignon Blanc: Not Your Typical Central Coast Pour

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Ever had a wine that stops you mid-sip and makes you think, "Wait, what's happening here?" That's exactly what Seek to Find Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2023 did to me. Found at Trader Joe's for just $7.99, this isn't your typical budget Sauvignon Blanc – it's a thoughtful departure from the norm that deserves your attention.

What makes this wine stand out is its production method. While virtually all value-priced Sauvignon Blancs are fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks, Seek to Find takes a different approach by incorporating oak barrel aging – a technique more commonly found in premium Bordeaux Blanc and high-end California wines. The result? A fascinating flavor profile that delivers familiar notes of lemon, melon, peach, and apple, but with an unexpected layer of exotic spices that only oak aging can impart. It's like getting a hint of Bordeaux, a touch of Loire Valley, and the sunshine of Central Coast all in one affordable glass.

Behind this wine is Treana Wines, a division of the respected Hope Family Wines from Paso Robles, who've been crafting quality wines for over 30 years. They also produce a $50 Sauvignon Blanc using similar techniques, which explains the surprising complexity found in this budget bottle. The highest compliment I can give any wine is that it makes you slow down and truly notice what you're drinking – and this one absolutely delivers on that front. For anyone looking to expand their wine knowledge or simply enjoy something different without breaking the bank, this is a must-try. Check out ChiefWineFinder.com for more detailed notes and similar value-priced wine recommendations that'll surprise your palate without emptying your wallet.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, domain Dave, cheapwinefinercom again with
another value price wine reviewand this time we've got a
Sauvignon Blanc Trader Joe's at$7.99.
And this one's kind ofinteresting, which is something
weird that's happened in thelast few years.
That kind of snuck in there Fora long time.

(00:23):
Value price wines were good,but they were kind of along the
same line as every other wine.
They're kind of uh, you know,they're made to taste like a
wine that is more expensive,that type of thing and this
one's a little bit different.
This is a seek to find centralcoast savion blanc and I've

(00:45):
checked out who produced it and,according to the California
Wine Cola Registry, it was TrinaWines, which is a division or a
brand of Hope Family Wines outof Paso Robles.
They do Liberty School and abunch of other wines.
They're a solid, really goodwinery out of Paso Robles been

(01:05):
around for 30 years and theymade this wine.
And the one thing that is alittle bit different about this
virtually every value price andthis is an $8 value priced wine
is that they're they'refermented and aged for whatever
aging usually a short period oftime, in stainless steel.

(01:27):
The Sique de Fine Central CoastSauvignon Blanc 2023 is a blend
of stainless steel and oakbarrel.
Now, oak barrel aging issomething that happens in
Bordeaux Blanc, which isSauvignon Blanc and Semillon,
and some of those wines can beaged for 25 years, and so it's.

(01:51):
You know, typically speaking,california Sauvignon Blanc is
more like the lower value, thatlower valley, where that doesn't
happen.
It's all quickly produced andyou want it to be bright and
alive.
But this has another flavor.
I mean, this isn't the same old, same old.

(02:11):
It'll throw you back at first.
When I first tasted it, I waslike what's going on here?
When I first nosed it, it'slike hmm, this isn't the same.
The spice is different.
It does open up and become morefamiliar, but you're going to
get lemon, you're going to getmelon, maybe some peach and some

(02:36):
apple, and you're going to getexotic spice, because the spices
that come from barrel oakbarrel is going to be different
than the spice that's naturallyin the wine or then the grape.
So you're getting that flavorand even if they're using
neutral barrels, there's stillthat different flavor that comes
through that a barrel canimpart.
So it's got the kind of flavorprofile of it backwards or

(03:03):
something, but it works.
I mean, this is a $7.99 wine.
That kind of expands yourknowledge of Sauvignon Blanc.
It's giving you a littleBordeaux.
It's giving you a little LoireValley.
It's giving you a littleCentral Coast.

(03:25):
I checked the Hope familywebsite and their wines and they
do do a.
I think it's under the Trinabrand, I'm not sure because they
have five or six brands.
They do a $50 Sauvignon Blancthat does this too.
I'm not suggesting that this isthat $50 wine, but what they

(03:46):
learn from that goes into this.
So they're not going blind here.
They've done it before, whichis a good thing.
I mean, they're from Paso Roblesand a lot of their wines are
from their vineyards and whathave you.
And this one is from the coldcentral coast.
It doesn't say that there's anyestate ones, but that's fine.

(04:06):
I mean, there's a lot of grapesto be had, and really good
grapes.
Most commercial vineyards doreally good grapes.
I mean, um, you know, a lot ofa lot of marketing is oh, this
is from this vineyard and thisis from that vineyard.
And if you know those vineyardsand love those vineyards,
that's great.
But if you don't know thevineyards, it doesn't really

(04:27):
make that much of a differenceto you, as long as it's a good
vineyard and the wines tastegood.
We're taking another sip of thisand we're going to close this
up because this is a good find.
Seek to find it.
Actually, this is Trader Joe's799.

(04:47):
Seek to Find Central CoastSauvignon Blanc 2023.
It's from a good producer.
It is not the same as everyother Sauvignon Blanc Trader
Joe's sells, because it has thatmix of oak barrel aging and
fermentation.
So there you go.
I mean, this is a wine that isgoing to taste a little bit

(05:09):
different, but not so you don'tknow.
But it's just going to go.
Hmm, this is interesting.
I need to, rather than just sipit, I need to actually take a
moment and notice what I'mdrinking, which, for a $7.99
wine, is a huge compliment.
Any wine that makes you sit upand think is a good wine, and

(05:30):
this thing tastes great.
I mean, it's a Sauvignon Blancfrom the Central Coast.
It's going to taste good, butit's going to be a little bit
different.
So there you go.
This is Domain Dave.
This is ChiefWineFindercom.
Check out the website.
We've got all the links to thewhole family vineyards and
information about the CentralCoast, everything about this

(05:51):
wine, and a little bit ofwritten stuff on top of it too.
There is no production ortasting notes, so everything we
learned, we had to learn bysipping, which is always a good
way to learn about wine.
So, adios, keep it cheap, andI'll be talking to you.
I got a bunch of kind of funwines coming up, so next few
days are going to be fun.
I'll be talking to you.
Hang in there, keep it cheap,bye-bye.